Fiber optic cables used in hostile environments, such as those found “under-sea” in telecommunications systems and/or “down-hole” in oil and gas wells, provide a critical link between sensors within the hostile environment and instrumentation outside the environment. In some oil and gas applications, the environment in a down-hole well can include relatively high temperatures, high vibration, corrosive chemistries, and/or the presence of hydrogen. In other oil and gas applications, the environment in a down-hole well can also include X-rays, gamma-rays, or other forms a radiation. Using conventional fiber optic cables in down-hole environments having relatively high temperatures, the presence of hydrogen, and/or the presence of radiation often results in degradation of the fiber optic cable. In most cases, degradation of the fiber optic cable can reduce the normal life expectancy of the optical fibers within the cable. Moreover, degradation of the fiber optic cable typically reduces the optical performance of the optical fibers.